The story where Shikamaru follows Temari around
by FireBendingTimeLord
Summary: Shikamaru escorts Temari around Konoha for a week and in the process, they come to realise a lot about themselves and each other. ShikaTema, KibaTema, ShikaIno. Rated T for language and V for vaguest summary ever.
1. Chapter 1

The Prologue where Shikamaru doesn't tell

"The Sunagakure ambassador will be here tonight before sunset so that means you're on duty for the next seven days, Shikamaru."

"Me, again? You know I'm still working on-"

"I'm giving it to Kakashi. You know, I assign you as her escort every time she comes here and for the last year, you've complained every time. Either you tell me what happened back then or you quietly accept this cake mission of following her around town until she leaves."

"Hai, hai. I'll take the mission."

"You're really not going to tell me what's going on between you two, are you?"

"There's nothing to tell..."

* * *

Chapter 1: The chapter where Temari and Shikamaru say "hi".

The fan strapped to her back felt like a ton of bricks by the time she saw the gates of Konoha. She had made the trek in two days through little sleep and taking to the trees whenever she could. Fortunately, she had been coming and going from Konoha so often lately that even with a little sleep deprivation, she could easily find her way to the familiar gates in front of her now. She dropped from the tree in a quick, efficient motion and dusted off her clothes before walking out of the woods and onto the main road.

It was easy enough with the failing light to stretch a shadow between the trees without it being obvious, even to her. It wasn't long, either, before he felt her shadow cross his and cast itself onto the road. He glanced up through his eyelashes to see the setting sun at her back and the orange light streak through the trees, crowning her head and glinting off the guardstick of her fan as she walked up to the gate. From her posture, he could tell she was exhausted. From the furrow in her brow, he could tell she needed a drink. He quickly looked back to the two gate guards who were rambling on about the commotion in town and smiled to himself. Not that she'd have one, of course, unless it was tea or water.

She walked up to the guardpost where Shikamaru was having some casual conversation with Kotetsu about local events – in other words, gossiping. Without a word, Shikamaru placed an uncapped pen on the register and moved aside just enough to let her sign in. As she filled out the information and signed her name, she watched the expressions shift across his face out of the corner of her eyes. It wasn't until she handed the pen to Izumo that their eyes finally met.

"Well, here we are again," she greeted him.

"Yeah," he replied, jamming his hands into his pockets. "I guess so."

* * *

A/N: Short, huh? Sorry... =_=;; This story is a total of 5 chapters, some longer than others...

As a general disclaimer, the fic is rated T for occasional swearing in later chapters, including one or two incidences of "f'ck". Also, I wrote this because I need to get used to writing on my new laptop (weird, huh?) so while I had this idea incubating in my head for a while, I ended up forcing it to hatch a little early. On top of that, I've never written either character before and I don't have the time to give it a good edit (sheepishly rubs back of neck), but I posted this anyway since there can never be too much ShikaTema. ^_^ I hope you enjoy it anyway and come back next Friday for chapter two!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The chapter where Temari tries denial on for size

"There's a lord with assassination orders on his head staying in town right now," Shikamaru explained, "and he's got the full complement of soldiers, bodyguards and doubles so his entourage is huge and we needed to keep them all in one place. The inn you normally stay at is the only one big enough to house them all and it's easily defensible, so they had to put you in here. If you don't like it, then we'll move you tomorrow back to your usual place. Sorry, but for tonight I gotta ask you to just deal with it."

Temari looked around. "I'm sure this is fine." This inn was much older, but a lot closer to the Hokage's office. She took the key Shikamaru handed her and noted the number before walking down the short hall of rooms. There was a small dining area off the lobby, she noticed. She'd have to see if she could get a cup of tea before bed.

The door to her room creaked open and she walked in, leaving Shikamaru leaning against the jamb. It was tidy and well-kept, but obviously missing something. She stuck her head back out into the hallway.

"Hey, where's the bathroom here?"

"There's a shared one at the end of the hall." He pointed two doors down.

"You're kidding!"

"It's just one night..." he sighed. "Next you'll be asking to stay at my house."

"Can I?"

"I told you that was a one-time deal 'cause my dad was out of town and the pipes..."

"Come on," she teased. "Your bed's so comfortable!"

"No!" He took a step back. "And how do you know what my bed feels like?!"

"I'm joking, this is fine. I can probably stay here for the week. Besides, if I stayed with you now, I'd probably have to sleep with a smelly deer or something." She unlocked the fan and swung it off her back before leaning it carefully against the wall. Normally, she would carry it with her until the end of the day, but her body felt heavy enough even without it that she was willing to take the gamble just for tonight. She pulled the scroll out of the inner pocket of her jacket and headed back out the door when she felt his hand catch on the inside of her elbow.

"I'll do it," he offered with an outstretched hand toward the scroll. "That dining room looked closed, too, so I'll get you some tea or something on the way back."

Temari smiled. "There's no way I'm gonna trust my job to a slacker like you," she said, pulling back her arm. "It's no big deal. I was thinking about stopping at that bar anyway."

"Why? You only ever order tea." Shikamaru smirked. "It's kinda lame, but I guess it's the only place open this late."

Temari just flashed her teeth at him in a broad smile.

* * *

A gust of November wind scooped up a handful of stray leaves lying in the street, impatiently rearranging them before setting them down, only to blow them away again in a petulant gust of frosty air. Temari shivered violently against the cold and fell back a step behind him at an odd angle.

"Are... Are you using me as a weather shield?"

"Quit bitching and just block the wind."

"_You're_ asking _me_ to do something about the wind?! Do you realise..."

"Shut up." She tried to keep a straight face, but a smile broke out as she tried to suppress a laugh.

He glanced back at her and chuckled. Mutter, mutter "...mendokusei."

They rounded the corner and Temari charged ahead at the sight of the warm glow coming from the paper shogi doors of her favourite bar. "You're so worked up over some cool fall air. Man, do I feel sorry for the guy you go cry to after _real_ missions."

"What do you know," she answered broodingly, stepping over the door frame.

"True... Maybe it's not a guy." Shikamaru said with a wide grin. He was just about to walk into the bar after her when an unnatural blast of wind pasted him onto the cinderblock wall lining the opposite side of the street.

"So who do _you_ go to after missions nowdays?"

"Ino, lately," he replied, wincing as he tested the new sore spot on his head. He threw back his drink, nested his empty cup in hers and slid the stack to the edge of the table.

"Her?!"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.

"Well... I mean... I don't dislike her or anything and, I mean, you two were teammates," she backpedalled. "It's not like I care. I just didn't peg her as your type is all."

"She's easy- I mean, convenient," he rubbed his neck sheepishly.

"I see," Temari sighed as she grabbed two new drinks from the waitress. "She was exactly your type after all,"

Shikamaru just smirked and began chewing on what he suddenly hoped was an unused toothpick. "How 'bout you? I noticed you've stayed pretty clear of the Suna gossip which means you're still not pulling from that pool... And despite the tough act you put on, I know you're not the type to go looking for random, anonymous alley sex. So..."

"Kiba,"

There was a crack as the toothpick was snapped in two.

"What?" she questioned defensively, "I didn't feel like waiting around, listening to you reason it out."

Shikamaru spit out the toothpick splinters and raised a finger to point it in the direction of the spiky-haired, off-duty ninja currently regaling his group with the details of his last mission while squatting on top of his table, too drunk to notice that Naruto was trying to stealthily send a kagebunshin around to give him a thousand years of pain. "'Our' Kiba?"

"Forget it."

"I mean, he's great, but... you're slumming it a bit, aren't you, Ambassador-sama?"

Temari shrugged. "I've been known to," she retorted with a side-ways glance.

"Well, if that's what you like... Oi! Kiba!" He interrupted the dog-nin's animated description of how he recently inhaled a mole while using tunnelling fang with a simple pointing of his thumb towards Temari and a slight raising of the eyebrows. It was an esoteric gesture specific to Shikamaru and his closest friends, and she knew the exact meaning it conveyed.

The hot tea burned her throat as she choked on her drink and managed a teary-eyed glower at Shikamaru, but before she could get out the string of obscenities poised on the tip of her sharpened tongue, Kiba had already sidled up next to her and tugged at the passing waitress's arm. "Two of everything alcoholic, please," he ordered concisely.

"Here's my exit," Shikamaru announced as he pushed his chair out. He leisurely walked out the door, tapping out a cigarette and grinning to himself.

It took a few tries to light it against the fall gusts, and even then he only took a half-hearted puff before holding the snowy-white stick out to the wind to watch it whip the smoke around. He heard footsteps and then felt slim fingers wrap around his wrist. Soft, sticky lips pressed against his hand and he saw Ino's face in the glow of the cigarette as she inhaled.

"Hey, Shikamaru. Do me a favour will ya'?"

"What?"

"Why don't you save me the time and effort of all... that," she waved vaguely towards the rowdy-sounding bar, "and just come home with me now?"

"I can't, I'm kinda on duty."

Ino reached up on her tiptoes and kissed Shikamaru lightly on the mouth. "I'm not an idiot, Shikamaru, you never drink on the job. Are you here with someone?"

"Temari-san."

"Once again showing her a 'good time' while she's in Konoha, huh?"

"It's not like that."

Ino rolled her eyes sarcastically.

"See for yourself."

She pushed the door aside and peered in. "Kiba?!" she exclaimed.

Before Shikamaru could give her the back-story, Akamaru sauntered out followed by Temari dragging a passed-out Kiba over her back. Ino quickly took his other side and they both threw Shikamaru a dirty look as he watched them, clearly amused.

"Help me with this, you lazy bastard. He's _your_ friend."

Shikamaru shook his head. "He's your problem now," he smirked.

"Lazy bastard," she muttered as they heaved the body onto Akamaru's back and covered it with his coat. The enormous dog whined and began trotting home.

"I'm surprised one of you didn't jump on that free ride. Or both of you, for that matter. I'm sure Kiba'd get a kick out of that."

"Fuck you," came the simultaneous reply. Ino turned to open the door. "Are you coming in, Temari-san?"

"In a minute," she smiled at her.

The door rattled open and shut and the two of them were left alone in the cold night air. Shikamaru raised his hand to take another absent puff of his cigarette when Temari grabbed it out of his hand and threw it down, grinding it with the heel of her boot. "Come on, I'll walk you to my place," she offered with a grin.

Shikamaru snorted and shifted his feet into a slow walk.

"Is he always like that? Kiba, I mean."

"Hmm?"

"Does he always go after whatever girl is interested in him?"

"Kinda."

"So he's desperate?" There was a tinge of amusement in her voice.

"Nah. Desperate people are always trying to change who they are for the person they're with. I think he just wants to find someone who likes him for who he really is. It's hard for him, but he never puts up pretences."

"Must be nice."

"Yeah."

They walked a little while in silence, listening to their footfalls echoing off the gray stone walls that ran along the sidewalk.

"It's cold," Temari shivered.

Shikamaru looked her up and down. "You at least need a scarf this time of year. Didn't you bring one?"

She shook her head and pointed at his neck. "Offer me yours."

"Then _I'll_ be cold! Besides, we're almost there."

"What kind of man are you?" she muttered loudly, crossing her arms.

He followed her into the inn's foyer and watched as she sat down to remove her shoes.

"I think I can take it from here," she said, tugging one boot off her foot.

"Suit yourself." He turned and thoughtfully ran his fingers over the door before turning back to face her. "Hey, Temari-san?"

She looked up at him questioningly.

"Kiba's a really good guy. If you intentionally hurt him or break his heart... I don't think I could forgive you." He glanced at her to make sure the words sank in, and seeing that it did, he turned and left.

* * *

A/N: Oh noes! KibaTema and ShikaIno rear their ugly heads! XD I love Kiba and I love Ino, but no one stands in the way of my ShikaTema so there's a purpose behind it all, I swear. Oh, and doesn't it seem like everyone is carrying on like there's something we don't know? Next Friday's chapter is heavily KibaTema (Sorry! Sorry!), but there's a reason for it and I swear chapter 4 will make up for everything.

You can also read this story on LJ here: lordofmeh. livejournal. com/ 1541. html (though remove the spaces first). It's a public post, so anyone should be able to read it. The formatting isn't quite as clean, but I try to make up for it by spewing more A/N nonsense about this story. If something in the story seems ambiguous, it might be the place to go get things clarified.

Thanks for the comments, Byaku-chan, Deidarakiller, and _- | -_ ()! I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: It's a long one today :) so I didn't bother reading it over :( If there are any big errors or if it just sucks really bad and you want it re-written ^_^;; let me know and I'll make sure to fix it. Otherwise, enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 3: The chapter where Kiba learns a secret

The sun glared in through the very pretty, very non-functional lace curtains and soaked through her eyelids, insisting that she wake. She resentfully rolled onto her other side only to find that it was no better there. "Who the hell places a bed alongside an East-facing window?! Geez..." she complained digging the heel of her hand into her eye in an effort to rub the bright out. Next, her ears were offended by a loud knock.

"Temari-sama!" she heard the innkeeper call through the door. "You have a guest waiting for you in the lobby."

Damn, he was early. "Send him back out to get some breakfast for me, please." She listened as the old lady shuffled back down the hallway. "Another day of following me around... I'll put that lazy ass to work." she mumbled as she picked up her toiletries and headed to the bathroom.

She took the time to soak in the tub, luxuriating in the benefits of Konoha's abundant water supply, and only got out when her stomach growled in neglect. When she was finished drying off and dressing, she put on her coat and locked her fan onto her back before heading out.

"You better have my break-" she stopped short. "Inuzuka-kun?"

He stood in front of her with a multitude of boxes in his hands. "You got me today, Temari-san! Shikamaru took a different mission this morning..."

"He didn't say anything about it last night."

"Heh heh," Kiba grinned. "He's probably just slacking off, as usual."

Temari faked an understanding laugh, but she knew he never slacked off about work. It was too unprofessional of him to pawn something like this off onto someone else, even after what happened between them. Speaking of which...

"Inuzuka-kun, I hope you and Akamaru got home yesterday without incident. You didn't catch a cold, did you?" She pasted a grin on her face but her mind recoiled at how stiff she sounded.

He laughed heartily. "I never get sick!" he announced proudly. After a second, the realisation of last night hit him and his expression turned slightly uncomfortable. "Sorry about the other night. I just came back from a mission and..."

"Don't worry about it." Temari said through the smile still on her face.

"Oh, this is for you," he beamed, shuffling the packages around to push a neatly tied box towards her. She pulled open the strings and looked inside to find a scarf. It wasn't anything fancy, but it felt warm and soft and the red matched her belt perfectly.

"Thanks. I was just thinking I needed one..." she trailed off, running the fabric through her fingers thoughtfully.

"And I didn't know what to get you for breakfast, so I got you a few different things." He pushed the remaining five boxes towards her. She took the tower of provisions over to the small dining area and set them down on the nearest table to survey. They were filled with tea cakes, rice done up in assorted shapes and flavours, a good helping of meat, and various other foods she failed to identify.

"I can't possibly eat all this..." she apologised, feeling as if facing the sheer quantity of food was like facing some impossible opponent. "Help yourself." Smile.

"If you're sure..." he grinned back at her, chopsticks already in hand.

She unpacked everything, picked out a rice ball and pushed everything else towards the eager shinobi. After a few nibbles, she set it down and watched Kiba devour everything down to the paper wrappings, all the while maintaining an enormous smile stretched across his face. He was so uncomplicated; it was a relief after growing up in Suna with her and her siblings constantly being involved in politics and family affairs. All the ulterior motives and hidden agendas and having to be on guard all the time around the people with whom she was supposed to feel the safest was exhausting, but she couldn't help think that this... him... he was surprisingly, pleasantly simple...

It wasn't a total lie when she said she liked Kiba. He was the type that could probably make her forget about all the shit in her life. She'd been watching him for a while and found he was competent at his job, happy, and had a good attitude about everything. It could be refreshing after Suna and all the other complicated relationships she seemed to get herself into. She watched as he threw a slice of meat to Akamaru who ate it with the same relish.

She picked up the rice ball again, but only eyed it wearily. She really had her heart and stomach set on the chestnut bread Shikamaru got her whenever she came to Konoha. Lowering the ball under the table, she waved it at Akamaru enticingly. He took the bait and licked it off her hand, leaving a trail of stringy slobber clear up to her wrist. Well, that would take some getting used to...

Temari excused herself to go wash her hands and gave herself a pep talk in the mirror. Maybe if she could just relax and be herself, she'd start to enjoy being around him. Maybe Kiba would be assigned to her more often and after a while, she could forget about... him. She grit her teeth as she turned off the faucet. _No, that's no good_, she thought to herself, unclenching her teeth and sighing deeply. Relax...

"So where are we going first?" Kiba asked, happily rubbing his stomach.

"Well, with Shikamaru, we usually go back to the room and work off breakfast..." she replied nonchalantly, but then her hand clapped over her mouth in horror when she realised that perhaps she got herself a little too relaxed.

Kiba stared. "Are... Are you serious?" She winced as she watched his mental tug-of-war between hope and fear. Suddenly a cocky grin spread over his face. "Well, if you think you can keep up..." he challenged as he shoved his chair back and arched his back into a stretch. "That was my second breakfast of the day."

Temari's cheeks coloured a deep pink and she averted her eyes to the floor. "As if I would really do that..." she mumbled.

"No?" she heard Kiba purr into her ear. Her breath caught painfully in her throat when she spun around to find him unashamedly invading her personal space. She could see unruly spikes of dark hair waving in front of his mischievous eyes, the sharpness of his canines mirrored by the tattoo on his face. With the massive shoulders he had sprouted over the last year and the bulkiness of his fur-lined coat, the effect was more than a little overwhelming.

She opened her mouth to say something, or maybe it was just to gape, but before she could find out which it was, Kiba's grin took a sinister twist at the corners, making her apprehensively slide back in her chair as far as possible. "Well, I guess I'll just have to settle for this, then," he chuckled before pressing his lips gently on Temari's.

Her first reaction was to pull back, but then she realised this is kind of what she needed. No. This, what he was doing, was _exactly_ what she needed. She ran her hand over the layers of clothing on his chest, allowing her fingers to wrap around the fur-lined lapel of his coat. Her mouth opened for him slightly and he let out a low growl in appreciation. With that, she felt her mind drift away...

_If you hurt him... I don't think I could forgive you._

Temari abruptly pushed him away causing Kiba to stumble back a few steps.

"S-sorry, Temari-san. I-"

"Don't apologise," she interrupted harshly, but quickly softened her tone, "it doesn't suit you." Standing up, she adjusted the fan on her back and straightened out her clothes. "We'll be late if we stand around like this." The stiff smile found its way back onto the corners of her mouth.

Kiba removed the scarf from the box and wrapped it around her neck before giving her a toothy smile and cocking his head to the side. "It really does look good on you, Tema-san..."

"You..." Temari stopped short, taken aback and a little surprised at being given a nickname.

"Me, what?" Kiba looked back at her playfully, raising his hood against the rush of cold air that flooded the foyer.

_You're kind_, she thought, wrapping her scarf tighter around her neck, _but it's no use, after all_. "Hm? Nothing."

"Ne, Tema-san! Chouji's going on a mission tomorrow morning so Ino and Shikamaru are gonna each buy a round of barbeque tonight and then maybe some drinks after. Wanna- I mean, can I escort you there tonight?"

Temari wrinkled her nose, first at hearing Kiba's uncharacteristically polite turn-of-phrase, and second at the thought of spending another night watching people soak themselves in alcohol. As much as she wanted to refuse him, his eyes were pleading with her like he really, really, really wanted to go and much to her chagrin, she found that irresistible and somewhat cute. It might be good to go out since she had felt wound up all day.

"Uh, Tema-san?"

"Sure, Kiba." She replied wanly and looked back down the hall at the row of seemingly endless office doors.

"Heh," she heard him snort and her eyes curiously wandered up to the cocky expression on his face.

"Huh?"

Kiba leaned down, eye level to her. "You just called me 'Kiba'."

"That's your name."

"'Kiba'," he emphasised. "Not Inuzuka-kun or Kiba-sama..."

"Why would I call you Kiba-sama?!"

"Could it be you liiiiiike me, Tema-san?"

"It's-" _Dangerous_, a voice inside her interrupted. _Don't hurt him. _She sighed. "Who knows..."

Kiba looked mildly disappointed.

"Let's start with dinner tonight, hm?

She saw his eyes light up with hope and his mouth curl into a confident smirk. "Yeah."

* * *

Temari looked up at Kiba, who was chatting excitedly about how his sister finally finished the new addition to her clinic. She found it difficult to concentrate. Why were they talking about this again? Oh, yeah. She asked him if anything new had happened in Konoha since the last time she was here two months ago. Absently, her fingers curled up to play with the hem of her sleeve. It seemed like Gaara was sending her over here more and more often. He never sent Kankuro out this much, she noticed. Maybe if she complained more...

She stopped in front of the door to the barbeque restaurant, letting Kiba reach in front to push it open for them.

"I didn't expect to see you here," an all too familar voice called to her from behind. "You really shouldn't let yourself get talked into these kinds of things." The comment earned Shikamaru a cuff on the shoulder from Kiba.

"Aren't you supposed to be off on a mission?" she questioned irritably.

"The mission's in town. Sorry to disappoint."

"Shikamaru, don't be so rude! Honestly, you can be so uncouth sometimes." Ino chided.

"Oi!" came Kiba's voice from already inside the restaurant. "I dunno about you guys, but just the smell of this place is making me drool. Everyone's already here so move your asses."

Shikamaru, Temari and Ino looked at each other.

"Well, I'm buying first round so I better go in..." Ino announced somewhat awkwardly.

"Make sure Kiba doesn't plan on sneaking meat out for Akamaru again or you'll go broke."

"Right. Do me a favour and go make sure that overgrown flea-bus isn't hiding in the alleyway again?"

"Yeah, I'll check," Shikamaru replied with a shrug. "I guess I got money on the line today, too." He shivered as he walked into the long shadow of the building. Secretly, he kind of hated shadows in the winter. They were always cold and dark and his opponents tended to hide in them.

He looked down the alley, straining his eyes against the failing evening light, when he felt a finger poke at his shoulder. "You're really pretty stingy! Akamaru goes on all of Kiba's missions, too, y'know. They're practically one person."

"Eh? Why did you come?"

"To protect you, of course. I was gonna bail you out in case some bullies were hiding to steal your dinner money."

"Bullshit. You'd probably beat them up and steal it back from them just to keep it for yourself."

"You should just jam a kunai into the door and be done with it. Besides, it's getting cold." She wrapped the scarf around her neck, struggling a little with the material where it bunched up in the back of her collar.

"I see you finally got the common sense to buy a scarf."

"Kiba gave it to me... or at least that's the story, isn't it?" Shikamaru just gave her a somewhat enigmatic smile before searching through his pack for a kunai. "I mean, why would Kiba think I needed a scarf?" Shikamaru took out a roll of wire and continued fishing through his pack. "You got it for me, right?" she asked softly. When she got no response, she took a long stride towards him and irritably reached out to grab his shoulder. "Answer-" Her sentence stopped short when she felt his hand wrapped tightly around her wrist.

"Figures," he chuckled, letting go.

"What? What exactly are you inferring?"

"I'm not _inferring_ anything. I'm _implying_ that maybe you didn't have the common sense to buy your own scarf, after all."

Temari twitched and unconsciously her hand found the release latch on her fan. Shikamaru pulled out two shuriken when he couldn't find a kunai and walked around her, noting her fingers hovering over her weapon.

"Calm down. As much as you love a good fight, I'm not offering today," he said with a chuckle.

The sound of his light-hearted laughter rang in her ears and twisted strangely in her gut. "Afraid you'll run out of chakra again?" She grabbed his arm and pulled him around to face her. "What," she cooed when Shikamaru didn't answer, "does Ino complain about that a lot?"

"I could prove you wrong..." he teased, and that's when Temari saw Shikamaru furrow his brow in an all too familiar way.

She willed her feet to move, but nothing happened. She tested her arm. Nothing.

"Fuck!" she spat, angry at herself for being so thoughtless.

"Look, I was just teasing you-," he tried to explain.

"Let me go!!" she yelled, her voice raw with frustration.

"Frankly, I'm a little afraid to right now."

Temari stopped struggling and turned to let her back slump against the restaurant building as Shikamaru slowly released the kagemane.

"It really is no use," she mumbled, rubbing her forehead as if to wipe it clean of all her messy thoughts. "I've tried it all and it's just no use," her voice rose, taking on a decidedly angry tone. "Why won't you just say it?!" she demanded.

Shikamaru jiggled the shuriken in between the door and the frame and tested it with a hard tug on the handle. Satisfied the back entrance was secure, he walked away from it, and her, rounding the corner wordlessly. She couldn't suppress a burst of chakra as her temper flared, and she winced as she felt the concrete around her feet crack and break up.

* * *

Temari endured dinner well enough. Shikamaru sat next to her, but continued his silence, speaking only to wish Chouji good luck. Thanks to Kiba and Ino's chattiness, no one seemed to notice, though Temari watched as Kiba kept throwing puzzled glances at the two of them. So it turned out to be just another complicated relationship after all, she thought, and she was going to have to come clean with him tomorrow. He was so good-natured, she dreaded it.

After dinner, everybody walked a contented Chouji back to his house before disbanding. Kiba watched as Shikamaru and Temari walked off, stoic and barely acknowledging each other's presence.

"Hey, Ino..." he half-whispered to her, tugging at her sleeve. "I saw something weird today... between Shikamaru and Tema-san."

"What? What?" she asked eagerly, sensing gossip.

"Well, before dinner, the two of them were behind the restaurant... and Tema-san completely lost her temper at him."

"That's it? That's all you saw?"

"Yeah... but isn't it weird? I mean, Tema-san can be pretty direct, but she's always even-tempered. What the hell does Shikamaru do to piss her off like that all the time?"

Ino gave Kiba a patronising smile. "You see," she explained, pointing at the two retreating figures, "a year ago, Shikamaru and Temari-san shared a simple kiss, though I suppose there really is no such thing. Ever since then, they've been flirting like mad, but no one will go any further. It's like they're waiting for something..."

"Flirting?!" Kiba wrinkled his nose incredulously. "They're always yelling at each other."

"Don't be dense, Kiba. When you have two people that want nothing more than to be together, but they can't quite figure out a way to make that happen, they get irritable. When they're apart, they can't stop thinking about each other and when they're so close, they're still never close enough... They thinly mask all that syrupy love and longing with irritability and it turns into what you see there."

"That's stupid," Kiba declared. "I mean, why don't they just be together when they can? ...Or at least fuck."

"Don't be so vulgar," she scolded. "Even if they pursue a physical relationship, both people really want more so they'll still end up worrying about the future. Peace with Suna is fragile at best, and where do you think they would live? If they lived here, where would Temari-san work? If they lived in Suna, where would Shikamaru work? Not to mention Shikamaru thinks Temari-san is too much of a pain-in-the-ass to deal with everyday and Temari-san hates Shikamaru's attitude. They both know the problem, but at the same time, neither one wants the other to change." Ino sighed. "It's the biggest catch-22 I've ever seen."

Kiba stared off into the distance and Ino smiled happily at having given the normally thick-headed shinobi some food for thought. Kiba was just thinking that he really wanted some beef jerky for dessert.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Ahaha! Sorry, sorry. I planned to hold back the story to do some editing since I noticed people were actually reading this (:D Thanks!) but in the end, I feel worse that I haven't updated. As penance, I'm adding the final chapter, too. If the ending is totally unsatisfactory, let me know what you want to see and I'll try to make it happen.

I actually wanted Shikamaru and Temari to get into a fight, but I couldn't think of something they'd fight about over off the top of my head, so this was the alternative. If you think they should get into a fight rather than what happens, give me a reason they should fight about and again, I'll try to make it happen. Otherwise, enjoy! :)

* * *

Chapter 4: The chapter where Shikamaru shuts up and Temari listens

Shikamaru was woken up by a knock on his bedroom door.

"Oi, Shikamaru!"

He pulled the blanket around his chin and rolled over to look at the alarm clock. It read a painful 4:45 AM. He heard the knob rattle as the door opened and he looked up to see his dad standing in the doorway in his pyjama pants.

"That dignitary's caravan that left two days ago..."

Shikamaru sat up, suddenly a lot more awake. "The one Chouji was escorting?"

"Yeah, along with those genin... The mission didn't fail, but Chouji's in Konoha Hospital now. The messenger said Chouza and Inoichi are there already so they probably dragged him back close to half-dead. Get ready, we're leaving in 5 minutes."

Shikamaru's heart dropped into his stomach. He hurriedly pulled on whatever clothing was nearest to him and ran out the door. The two of them sprinted clear to the hospital where Ino waited for them at the front steps. She hastily explained the situation and told them that Chouji was in Surgery Room 3, but as the men turned to leave, Ino grabbed at Shikamaru's shirt to stop him before he could follow his dad into the building. She pointed upward.

"Geez, your hair!"

Shikamaru touched the top of his head before he realised he had forgotten to tie it up. "I was kinda in a rush," he responded testily as he pushed past her and ran into the building.

"It's going to be a while so everyone who's not related to the patients should go home." The order came from a very tired, very pink-haired kunoichi who was standing with her hands on her hips like she meant business. Shikaku and Inoichi hurriedly shuffled off after offering the standard "If there's anything we can do..." to Chouza and his wife. "That means you, too, Shikamaru." Sakura warned when he made no move to get up.

"Come on, I'll buy you a cup of coffee before my shift." Ino stretched out her hand to him. He stared at it for a second and then looked up at Sakura before getting up and following Ino down the hall to the lobby.

"He's got a pretty deep cut across his back... There's some injury to the spinal cord." She swirled the coffee in her cup. "His lungs were pierced and his shoulder was dislocated..."

Shikamaru winced and looked away.

"Right," continued Ino thoughtfully. "You probably don't want to know about all that." She stared at the steam rising from her cup. "He got hurt protecting the genin. There wasn't even any real danger to the lord. He knew that, too."

Shikamaru nodded.

"He's almost too good to everyone, isn't he? If only he wasn't such a bottomless pit."

Shikamaru got up and tossed his coffee in the bin. Ino tugged at his arm gently. "Sorry. You know I'm really no good at this." She got up and wrapped her arms around him and he could feel the warm wetness as his shirt drew out the tears from her eyes. Shikamaru felt some of the numbness in his chest wear off and he raised his arms to hold her back, but she pulled away, wiping her eyes. "Look at us," she chuckled through tears. "We're really useless together, aren't we? I'm so stressed that I keep saying the wrong thing and you're trying to seem more manly so you won't say anything at all..." She took a big step back and crossed her arms. "Well, I have to sit in on the healing session in fifteen minutes so I better go get my shit together. You should... You should go home and talk to your dad or go see Temari-san. I'll make sure you know as soon as anything changes," Ino promised. "I'll talk to you later, okay?" She flashed Shikamaru a forced smile before turning around and walking back down the hall to the operatory.

Shikamaru plodded home like an old, worn-out mare. Going to the hospital only made him feel worse after all, he thought. The familiar sense of helplessness crept into his mind and began systematically drawing panic and desperation to the surface. At least Ino could help Chouji by healing him. What the hell could he do? Bind him up in kagemane then come up with some shogi strategy? Those were pretty much his two options. He rubbed his eyes, trying to stop the burning as he opened the front door and walked down the hall to his room. There were voices in the living room, but they barely registered. He had 2 hours before he had to be at work and he was going to see if he could get some sleep.

The alarm was still set for 8 AM when he rolled back into bed, clothes and all. He stared at the wall for a few seconds before he heard a soft knock on the door. He said nothing. He heard the doorknob rattle open. He kept staring at the wall. As soon as he felt his bed shift under the weight of someone sitting on it, he knew who it was. He wanted to curl up against her and pour his heart out. He wanted to cry and rage and blame and feel her around him while he was doing it all, but instead he just stared at the wall some more.

"Yes," was all he said to acknowledge her presence. He knew the silence that followed was a question. "A few days ago, you asked if I was tired of this. The answer is 'yes'."

"You're holding it together awfully well. It's for me, isn't it? "

There was a pause.

"Yeah."

He felt her lean back onto her hands. "So your best friend's in the hospital, you still question whether or not you're cut out for shinobi life, and on top of all that, you have feelings for a gorgeous and talented kunoichi, and you don't know how any of those is going to work out." She sighed. "Even I have to admit you've got it tough..."

There was another pause and then Shikamaru felt her fingers brush across his cheek, moving up his temple to sift through his hair. "But you know..." she added, trying her best to sound stern. "I never asked you to change. Where's the Shikamaru that cried openly in the hospital hallway when his friends were injured? You're acting like a frightened child compared to him." She passed her hand over his cheek again and felt tears cling to her fingers. "For some reason," she laughed, "I was jealous of that sentimental crybaby. He was never afraid to show how he felt, but somehow he seemed stronger for it in the end." He brought up his hand to hold hers, but she just ran her thumb over his knuckles before letting go. She got up from the bed and walked to the doorway. "I can stay here until eleven," she called out to him. "I'll make sure someone wakes you up if we hear anything so try to sleep a little. I don't want you following me around being even more useless than you already are, okay?" With that she shut the door behind her.

"Thanks," a voice next to her whispered. She turned to see Shikaku leaning against the wall next to the door. "You're somethin' else, Temari-san. If my son doesn't love you, he's an idiot."

Temari smiled up at him. "We both know your son's no idiot, Nara-san."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The chapter where Shikamaru and Temari get over themselves

Shikamaru tied his pants loosely around his waist and towelled off his hair before he stepped out of the bathroom. In the hall, he could swear he heard Kiba's voice in between his dad's "I see, I see"s. He looked into the living room to see the two of them along with Temari sitting around the table, staring thoughtfully off into space.

"Why didn't someone tell me Kiba was here?" he pointedly asked Temari.

"You were in the shower!" Shikamaru grunted irritably. "And don't drop your towel on the floor."

"My mom'll get it..."

"What are you, five? ...And go put on a shirt."

"How am I supposed to put up with such a troublesome woman?" he asked no one in particular.

The two of them were interrupted by Shikaku's booming laugh. "You really did a helluva job cheering him up, Temari-san!"

Shikamaru furrowed his eyebrows and chose to ignore them both. "So what about Chouji?"

"Ino said he'll live, but there's no way to know if he can ever go back to being a ninja."

"Did she say we could go see him now?"

"Maybe in a few days."

"Geez," he muttered.

"Yeah..." Kiba agreed as he stood up. "Well, I gotta go, but you should drop by the hospital later today. Just don't hang out in the hallways too long or you'll get a Sakura-sized fist-print on your face."

"Wait a minute," Temari called to him. "I'll walk out with you."

"How'd he take it?" Shikamaru asked as they ambled down the road into Konoha.

"He said he already knew. Kiba's surprisingly perceptive."

Shikamaru chuckled. "I'm sure that's not it. Anyhow, I'm glad him knowing made it easier for you since, y'know, you made out with him and all."

"My, my, aren't we cheerful now."

"Hey, Temari..." His hand caught her arm and pulled her to a stop before returning back into his pocket. "I guess I'm serious after all..." he chuckled to himself as he shuffled the dirt around his feet.

She just gave him a blank stare.

He tilted his head up to look her squarely in the eyes. "You know, at some point it got to be more of a pain in the ass to be without you than with you."

"I'm not gonna be with you because you find it convenient," she said, looking away.

"Trust me. That's not the case at all," he replied, crossing his arms with a defeated sigh. "It was the effort of me saying this to you that you wanted all along, wasn't it? So, here it is."

Temari laughed as she started down the path again. "It's about time you manned up, crybaby."

"Hai, hai" came the weary response as he turned to follow after her. "Mendokuse."

* * *

The omake where I make myself hungry for chestnut bread. Wait... What?

"Here's your new mission to Konoha." Kankuro plopped the folder down, but Temari grabbed it before it hit the desk. She stormed across the hall and rapped loudly on the door.

"Gaara!" She waited a second before knocking again and let herself in, placing the mission folder squarely in front of the Kazekage. "Why are you sending me to Konoha again? I was just there two weeks ago and then you always have me stay for almost a week at a time. Why don't you send Kankuro or... someone else?"

"Because," he started, coolly crossing his arms and turning his chair around to face her. "Neither Kankuro nor 'someone else' get cranky when she doesn't get her... how shall we say... chestnut bread." He punctuated his statement with a raise of his eyebrow. She glanced across the hall to see Kankuro's back turned towards her, his hands rubbing up and down his sides while moaning theatrically.

"Fuck you both," she stated and stormed out, only to return for the folder. "And one more thing," she added in a huff. "Send my food and lodging budget to the Nara Clan's head family. I've been invited to get my 'chestnut bread' in one of their cabins from now on." With that, she stormed off again, barely containing her laughter.

"Chestnut bread..." Gaara grinned. "Kinky."


End file.
